NEW YORK – A survey conducted among American college students found that while
they deem Iran to be the world’s worst offender in terms of human rights
violations, few are aware of what these violations actually are.
The
survey of over 500 college students across the United States was conducted by a
research firm in conjunction with December 10’s international Human Rights Day
to gauge American undergraduates’ perception of human rights issues.
“The
results clearly indicate that human rights are a priority for American young
people and that they consider Iran to be a serious human rights violator, but
they’re not informed about the specifics of those violations,” Iran 180 director
of outreach Chris DeVito said. Iran 180 is a coalition of NGOs demanding Iran
reverse its human rights practices.
According to the survey, 91 percent
of college students think Iran either has problems with human rights or is one
of the worst violators of human rights in the world, with 34% selecting Iran as
the worst offender – more than any other country.
Since Syria’s crackdown
on pro-democracy protesters has grabbed front-page headlines for months, DeVito
said, Iran’s number-one-offender ranking is “surprising.”
However, when
students were asked specific questions regarding Iran’s religious laws, most did
not know the range of punishable offenses – for example, that the regime’s
definition of crime includes public displays of affection, free worship,
belonging to a labor union and wearing nail polish.
“The implications are
that people don’t understand the true nature of the regime in Iran,” DeVito
said, which he characterized as “problematic.”
“We certainly have our
work cut out for us in educating college students – and Americans of all ages –
about the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran,” DeVito said.
The
results will be officially unveiled at a panel discussion in New York on Friday.